The preterite of dirigir is used to express a specific instance of directing or leading something in the past. For example, you might say “I directed the school play last semester,” indicating when the leadership role was completed.

This is a regular -ir verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. The endings are added to the stem ‘dirig-‘ without any changes.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Dirigir (to direct) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of dirigir expresses a completed action of directing or leading in the past.

To direct/lead: Describes being in charge or giving direction, for example Dirigí el proyecto (I directed the project) or Dirigió la orquesta (He/she conducted the orchestra).

To manage/run: Used for management roles, for example Dirigió la empresa durante diez años (He/she ran the company for ten years).

Examples

Examples of Dirigir in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Yo dirigí el proyecto con éxito. (I directed the project successfully.)El director dirigió la orquesta magistralmente. (The conductor directed the orchestra masterfully.)Ellos dirigieron la empresa durante la crisis. (They managed the company during the crisis.)Nosotros dirigimos el tráfico durante el evento. (We directed traffic during the event.)Tú dirigiste el equipo hacia la victoria. (You led the team to victory.)La maestra dirigió el coro escolar. (The teacher directed the school choir.)Los arquitectos dirigieron la construcción. (The architects directed the construction.)Ustedes dirigieron la reunión eficientemente. (You all ran the meeting efficiently.)El capitán dirigió el barco hacia el puerto. (The captain steered the ship toward the port.)La productora dirigió su primera película. (The producer directed her first movie.)Nosotros dirigimos la campaña publicitaria. (We managed the advertising campaign.)El chef dirigió la cocina del restaurante. (The chef ran the restaurant kitchen.)Los expertos dirigieron la investigación. (The experts led the investigation.)Tú dirigiste el departamento por años. (You managed the department for years.)El presidente dirigió su discurso a la nación. (The president addressed his speech to the nation.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Dirigir (to direct) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.